Electro plating device



Sept. 9, 1969 P, HIRSCH ETAL ELECTRO PLATING DEVICE Filed April 14. 1965 mwamons Paul HIIT'SC Joharm Kersc hgens Mm?! PM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,466,239 ELECTRO PLATING DEVICE Paul Hirsch, Vienna, and Johann Kerschgens, Oberosterreich, Austria, assignors to Johann Kerschgens, Scharnstein, Austria Filed Apr. 14, 1965, Ser. No. 448,099

Claims priority, application Belgium, Nov. 25, 1964,

5,795/64; Dec. 9, 1964, 6,401/64 Int. Cl. C23b /76, 5/06 US. Cl. 204-224 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to an electro-plating device for the electrolytic plating of metals such as chromium or nickel and has the primary object of providing a device allowing to perform the metal plating by hand and to dispense with dipping the articles to be plated into an electrolyte bath. It is another object of the invention to provide a device by the aid of which repairs of previously plated surfaces can be effected and articles can be treated which can be dismantled only with difficulty, such as accessories of automobiles, or parts which owing to their large size cannot readily be dipped into an electrolyte bath. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a device which allows to simplify and to speed up electroplating of articles also in cases where instead of one metal another one has to be plated on.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent later from this specification and the accompanying drawings, we provide an electro-plating device comprising in combination; a container in operation containing the electrolyte, a wick member attached at one end on said container and in operation constantly wetted by the electrolyte, a contact screw attached on the other end of said wick member, a carrier carrying said container, and electrical inputand output-voltage regulating means mounted on said carrier.

These and other features of our said invention will be clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in. which:

FIG. l(a-c) is an exploded perspective view of the individual components as they are fitted.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shell.

FIG. 3 is a view of the connection to the main.

FIG. 4 is a view of the connection to the cathode.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are views of another anode part.

The device according to this embodiment of the invention consists substantially of two parts, namely the carrier for the container of the electrolyte, which includes a transformer and the current supply elements, and on the other hand the container for the electrolyte, which container is exchangeable.

The carrier, on which the container for the electrolyte is mounted, comprises a body 32, which in its bottom portion has an input terminal 31 and a negative output terminal 30 for connection with the mains, said output terminal being connected in operation to the article to be plated.

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In the interior of the body there is arranged a transformer 19 having fixing means 20 and attachment screws 22 as well as a rectifier 16 with attachment screw 17. The transformer is suitable for input voltages between and 220 volts and even higher voltages, owing to an input step-switch 23. In this manner the device can be used, with the aid of an output step-switch 18, in practice generally at voltages of 2 to 12 volts, which allows the selection of the voltage best suited for a particular electrolyte. The output current intensity may range from say ma. to 2 amps.

The source of current is built in an arrangements are made to permit, that all electrolytes are worked under a voltage as required.

A resistance wire 12 will be used which is adjusted to heat up the electrolyte body as required.

The positive pole of the rectifier is connected to the anode 15. The body moreover carries a warning light 21 which gives a visual indication whether the device is connected to voltage or not. By means of this warning light an additional regulation of the output voltage is effected.

The container for the electrolyte is exchangeable. It consists of a body 14 in operation containing the electrolyte and as a whole forms the head of the device. The attachment screw an anode head 11 fits the body of the container for the electrolyte and is screwed to 'the same by the mounting of the anode head. Finally, the anode 8 is attached to a wick member 9.

The anode 8 has within its upper portion indentations, prongs or teeth, to improve the delivery of the current. They are shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 in side elevation and plan view, respectively. These parts of the anode may consist of lead and antimony for the plating of chromium deposits, they may consist for example of the same metal as that to be deposited by plating in the case of copper, nickel, brass, cadmium, tin, zinc and silver, and of a chromium-nickel alloy for the electro-plating of gold as well as of any of the aforesaid metals. Other metals may be used too.

The said indentations, prongs or teeth, allow a better grip on the wick member, and also a better exploitation of the current. Consequently the contact between anode and wick member is improved and the depositing of the metals takes place more quickly and intensely. The material, of which the wick member is made and which serves for the transmission of the electrolyte, consists preferably of a fabric of quartz fibres or glass fibres, quartz wool or glass wool, or any other fibrous substance which is insoluble in chromic acid.

The out-flow of the electrolyte from the storage container to the wick member takes place through the whole of the device, which is hollow.

The current is supplied to the anode B by means of a resistance heating spiral (an extension of 12) from the positive contact screw 13. This spiral, which is connected directly with the anode 8, heats the electrolyte. When the electrolyte container is not in use, it is covered by a clossure cap 10. In operation, the electrolyte container is secured on the body 32 by means of the contact screw 13 of the anode head 11, pressure of the screw being applied through the anode 15 While the current passes through.

The wiring is effected by a cable 4, Which carries at its end the input contacts 27. In the present case it carries also the terminal 5 for the connection to the mains. The negative voltage is supplied to the articles to be plated by a cable 2, which terminates at one end in a piece 28 securing the contact, and at the other end terminates in a control clamp 3, which establishes the contact with the metal to be worked. When arranged in the manner described, the device effects the galvanisation. It is handy,

and owing to the exchangeability of the container for the electrolyte and the possibility of selecting the voltages to be used, it can be used readily.

When the carrier for the electrolyte container comprises a current source of its own, such as a pile battery, it can be set in operation in a way, that the contacts are secured by metal tongues, which make contact on the inner lateral wall faces of the carrier forming the box. This carrier may then consist in a slidable lid. The negative contact of the tongue with the articles to be treated is then secured by a conductor starting from the carrier and terminating in a crocodile-shape tongue.

Here, too, the warning lamp serves to indicate the functioning of the device. A separate handle may then permit connection with an external source of current.

While we have described herein and illustrated in the typical and particularly useful embodiment of our said invention, we wish it to be understood, that we do not limit ourselves to the particular details and dimensions described and/or illustrated; for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A manually operable portable electro-plating device comprising a carrier adapted to be held in the hand of the operator, a DO. current supply with a control device for regulating the output voltage within said carrier, a separable container for electrolyte attached to said carrier, an electric resistance heating element in the liquid storage space of said container, a fibrous wick member at one end of said electrolyte container and extending outwardly therefrom an electrical contact in said carrier connected with the output side of the current supply, an electrical contact in said electrolyte container adapted to engage the electric contact in said carrier, a metallic anode electrically connected with said electrolyte container contact and engaging said fibrous wick member.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the anode has a toothed portion for clampingly engaging said wick member and means extending from said current supply for establishing an electrical contact with an article to be plated.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the anode is selected from the group consisting of antimony, lead, copper, nickel, brass, cadmium, zinc, silver and chromium-nickel alloy.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which an electric lamp is connected as a series resistance in the circuit provided in the carrier.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which the electrolyte container is attached to said carrier by screw threads.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, in which the carrier is provided with an angular extension adapted to fit the hand of the user, and having at the outer end thereof means for connection to a source of alternating current.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 828,814 8/ 1906 Cunningham 204-222 2,046,440 7/ 1936 Adey 204-224 XR 2,108,700 2/1938 Adey 204-224 3,294,664 12/1966 Franklin 204-224 1,545,942 7/1925 Conlin 204-224 2,698,832 1/1955 Swanson 204-224 2,961,395 11/1960 Icxi 204-224 3,326,793 6/1967 Lennon 204-224 3,346,477 10/1967 Wolfer 204-224 JOHN H. MACK, Primary Examiner O D. R. VALENTINE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 204-241, 271, 274 

